Conservation funding available for targeted Iowa watersheds

Private landowners in nine Iowa watersheds that cover portions of 19 counties have until July 17 to sign up for conservation practices to help reduce nutrient loading in focus watersheds across the state.
Through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is offering higher than normal payment rates on conservation practices such as cover crops, grassed waterways, nutrient management, and terraces.
“There are more than a dozen conservation practices available for adoption through this sign-up,” said Paul Goldsmith, who coordinates RCPP for NRCS in Iowa. “We are offering higher payment rates through RCPP than we do for most of our other programs.”
The nine selected watersheds currently have water quality improvement projects. Goldsmith said the assistance through RCPP will help build momentum toward completing those efforts. Private landowners in the following watersheds are eligible:
• West branch of the Floyd River (Sioux County)
• Deep Creek (Plymouth County)
• Boone River 1 (Kossuth, Hancock, Humboldt, Wright Counties)
• Boone River 2 (Wright, Hamilton Counties)
• Central Turkey River (Chickasaw, Winneshiek, Fayette Counties)
• Upper Robert’s Creek/West and Silver Creek (Allamakee, Clayton Counties)
• West fork of Crooked Creek (Keokuk, Washington Counties)
• Cedar Creek (Keokuk, Wapello, Jefferson Counties)
• Lower Skunk (Jefferson, Henry, Van Buren, Lee Counties).
Goldsmith said interested participants should visit their local NRCS office as soon as possible.
To learn more about technical and financial assistance available through other NRCS programs, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/GetStarted or your local USDA Service Center.